Thursday, 19 March 2015

Whenever Boots have their 3 for 2 sale I tend to stock up on the products that I use the most; things like shampoo, face wash, face powder and toner etc so I don't ever really run out of those things. Recently though, I did run out of my favourite Neutrogena Toner and so I had to pick one up. I couldn't find my it but since I absolutely love the Garnier Pure Active face wash I decided to pick up the corresponding toner which claims to help your skin feel clean and purified as well as fade marks and fight spots.

I don't normally like to switch up a product once I have found one that I like and that I feel works well for me but I expected to really like this new toner. It smells really nice and I feel like it does what you would expect from a toner but it then leaves my face feeling incredibly oily and greasy for a very long time after I used it. My skin also looked oily which isn't something I want to be left with at all, especially right after I have cleaned my face! I decided I would try to finish the bottle as not to waste it but I just can't stand how it leaves my skin feeling and can't bring myself to use it again.

So now I'm back to my favourite Neutrogena one which doesn't leave my skin feeling gross/oily but instead leaves it feeling refreshed and clean. On the nights I am feeling lazy, I sometimes use this to remove my makeup and on those occasions I like to use this twice to be sure I'm removing as much as I can but whenever I do, this toner burns. like. hell. Other than that though, this is and will remain my favourite!

Have you used this toner? Did you find the same problems with it that I did? What is your favourite toner to use?

Monday, 2 March 2015

Hey guys! When it comes to deodorant I am a pretty fussy girl and since I'm also quite an anxious person I tend to wear a little more than I probably need. So on the days when I'm just pottering about at home I like to try and give my underarms a break and let them breathe a little. Sometimes though, if I'm tidying up, cleaning or doing something that generally requires a bit more energy, I'd like something more natural to just to keep me feeling a bit fresher but without all the harsh chemicals in it that I put on my skin the rest of the time when I used your standard antiperspirant deodorants. So when I heard about this Bionsen* deodorant I thought it would be absolutely perfect for such occasions.

Bionsen (available from Boots from March 9th) is a gentle long lasting deodorant which is free of aluminium, alcohol and parabens - all the yucky things you don't really want in a deodorant and instead is gentle on your skin. It feels just like a regular roll on and has a lovely fresh scent. Bionsen is not an antiperspirant, so it wont really keep you dry and for this reason I wouldn't count on it to keep me fresh if I was having a busy day or going to the gym but at times when you just want a little extra something this works out perfectly.

If you'd like to know more about Bionsen or the brand you can check out their Twitter or Facebook page for more info.

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

I've been a pretty big Made In Chelsea fan over the years and when I heard Binky had released her own range of make up products, I was pretty excited to try a few of them out.

L-R: Pout / Bloom

I chose two of the lipsticks in Pout and Bloom (although unfortunately, as you can see, Bloom is a little damaged) which are priced at £2.95* each. They're both soft, apply nicely and have a lot of pigmentation to them. Bloom has a little shimmer to it, so my favourite is definitely Pout; which is a more pinkish nude colour.

I was really excited to try out the mascara (priced again at £2.95*). The wand comes with a big brush, fiber bristles and the mascara has a rather wet formula. I personally like very natural looking, fluttery eye lashes and this is absolutely perfect to get that effect. You need to work with it a bit to build it up if you like thicker lashes but I really liked how this left mine looking.

I also got two polishes in Cobalt and Purple. They are again £2.95* (although not everything in the Binky range is this price) and come with the wide brushes which I tend to really like on polish applicators. They are a pretty thick formula and both of these polishes are super opaque and I was really impressed with how they applied. Cobalt is an absolutely gorgeous bright pop of blue on your nails and will be perfect for summer! I'd be interested in trying out some other polishes in the range to see if they are all as good as these two.

The range is super affordable and I was really impressed with the packaging, which puts me in mind of the Rimmel London packaging and Models Own polish bottles. I love that she has also included the little flag too!

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

A shampoo bar was one of the first items I ever bought from Lush (Seanik I believe). At the time I wasn't really too fussed by it but I recently decided to try the bars again and now I have a little collection of three!

New - This cinnamon and clove scented bar (which is what drew me to it - it smells amazing) aims to promote healthy hair by stimulating your scalp and boosting blood flow to the hair follicle. It lathers up really nicely and my hair always feels clean after I've used it. Unfortunately though, the smell doesn't linger for very long in my hair which I wish it did.

Squeaky Green - With more of a herbal scent to it this one contains 'invigorating' cleansing herbs and essential oils to again stimulate your scalp and promote hair growth. I find the dried herbs in this one, that you can see in the picture, really snag and pull on my hair when I'm using it which is a bit annoying. I'm hoping they might soften over time/use.

Lullaby - This one has a really strong lavender scent, which I love but it again doesn't seem to transfer onto my hair. I really wish they did because these bars all have lovely scents. Lullaby also lathers nicely and it seemed to rinse out of my hair much easier than the other two.

You can use the bars by rubbing them in your hands first or just straight onto wet hair, which is what I do. Lush claim that they should last between 60-80 washes. I have found that after quite a few uses they haven't really changed much in size but I haven't completely finished one yet so I can't really comment on that! I don't really see much difference between the three (besides smell of course) and I don't feel they give my hair the same softness that a regular shampoo does but I do really like them. Have you tried any of the Lush shampoo bars?

Sunday, 8 February 2015

I'm not the biggest user of dry shampoo but on the days that I'm due to wash my hair and decide to pop out somewhere, it becomes a life saver.

I was so excited to try the Herbal Essences Naked 0% range when it first came out and the dry shampoo was one of the items I picked up. This one has an ok smell (I neither love or hate it) but I do love that this dry shampoo doesn't leave any kind of white power in your hair but that is all I love about it. It just doesn't seem to do anything; my hair didn't feel or look cleaner. It felt knotty and to be honest, I wish I had just left my hair how it was before.

I've been using Batiste for years now and while it does leave the white power in your hair (which I find usually just rubs in pretty well) it does what you want it to do. I'm not crazy about the smell of any of the Batiste dry shampoos but it really is one of the best at absorbing the oils in your hair and making it look cleaner!

This Aussie dry shampoo is the best smelling out of the three and like the Herbal Essences one doesn't leave much white residue behind in your hair and it makes your hair feel cleaner and fresh. I still prefer the Batiste dry shampoo over this one because I feel it works slightly better but this is definitely close second!

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Even after years of practice I can still be pretty useless at painting my nails neatly so when I saw this Sally Hansen Manicure Clean Up Pen I thought it would be perfect for me. It works by just erasing the polish where ever you rub it and comes with two extra tips. So, after I have painted my nails I grabbed it to clean them up and.. Nothing. Id did absolutely nothing because it was completely dried out. The package was sealed and the pen was shut so I have no idea what happened. I even tried dipping the tips into nail polish remover but it didn't work.

I thought I would make this post so that if you were thinking of buying this, to tell you to be aware that it might be dried out like mine was. It's a huge shame because I feel like if this worked, it could have been a very useful tool to have to help painting my nails easier.

What do you use to clean up yours nails? If you use a brush I would love to know which one you use because I can't seem to find one that I like to use for this purpose!

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Hey you lovely lot! Today's Scrub is yet another Soap and Glory one (I just love them) in the form of Breakfast Scrub. If you've used this before or even if you've just taken a sniff of it in store then you know it's maple scent smells amazing. Really amazing. Like you want to eat it amazing.

It's a nice gritty scrub that doesn't dissolve and disappear in the water quickly because it's so super thick. It leaves your skin nicely buffed and feeling smooth. I know it's way too think to come in a tube but I still wish it did - I'm just not a fan of scrubs that come in a tub like this.

At £8 it's at the same price point as most of Soap and Glory's Scrubs which to me always feels like a bit of a splurge but for the most part, they are nearly always worth it (this one included) and I will repurchase them over and over again!

To be honest bubblebars aren't my favourite thing that Lush sell, so I was a bit disappointed that it seemed like this release had more bubblebars than anything else but as you can see, that didn't stop me from getting a few of them to try.

The only thing that I have used so far is the Prince Charming shower gel. To me it smells like Turkish Delight (the sweet, not the Lush body lotion), so I expected to see rose in the scent description but it isn't. The scent is described as grapefruit, sandalwood and geranium oils. Hmm. The shower gel itself is a lovely thick consistency that lathers up really nicely and you only need a tiny amount. I'm just not sure how much I like the smell..

Friday, 9 January 2015

Hey guys! Just super quick favourties from me this week since I haven't done one in while!

First up is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder. I've been using this powder for years (around twelve to be exact!) and have never felt the need to switch or even try anything else. It's light, it sets my foundation well and it's affordable. This one is always a favourite.

Linking nicely from the powder is the Real Techniques Powder Brush - this brush is around £12.99, so not the cheapest but it picks the powder up well and I find it's the perfect size to apply the powder to my face.

Next is the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub. If I'm honest, I bought this because the scent reminded me of Snow Fairy but it sat in my drawer for ages and ages without me using it. I recently dug it out again and I've been using it frequently. Does it do anything? Who knows really but it smells amazing and does feel good on the lips, so I can call it a favourite, right? ;)

Lastly is the Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange perfume - I got mine from America but I have seen the odd one sitting in random places in Tesco, although I've never actually seen a spot for them on the shelves. Anyway, when first applied this has an odd scent but once it's had a few minutes to sit on your skin it has a beautiful citrus-y/sweet scent which isn't something I would typically go for but I really like this. I just which it wasn't in a roller-ball form because I find that a paint to apply.

Tuesday, 6 January 2015

I had heard about the 'treehouse' at Fanny's Farm Shop (where you can enjoy cream teas) quite some time ago and we tried to make a booking last year for my birthday but it's a popular place and only takes 4 bookings per day, so needless to say it was fully booked. Towards the end of last year we decided to try again and managed to get a booking for two weeks later (3rd of Jan). Before visiting I had read on Trip Advisor about how rude both Fanny and her daughter are to customers, so to be honest I was a little apprehensive but was looking forward to cream teas in the treehouse.

My mum thought from the outside that the treehouse was a little dated (something a lot of people seem to think in their reviews too) but I thought it was cute and couldn't wait to get inside!

By the time we got seated inside it was now dark out and the treehouse was lit with just candles and fairy lights which gave it a cosy & warm glow and it heated with a heater at the back. I'm not sure if this is how they always light the treehouse or if it was just decorated this way for Christmas and in the summer time I'm sure they don't use any lighting at all but this really added to the atmosphere of the place.

It was a rainy day and all over the table were little pots catching the raindrops which were coming in through the roof and many areas of the floor were very wet. At first I thought it might get annoying, to be dripped on or have drips on your food but it again just seemed to add to the experience and the drips weren't really bothersome.

I absolutely loved that they had left so many of the tree stumps jutting through the room and even through the table. Fanny's website suggest the treehouse can hold up to 10 people but given the size and the tree stumps, we don't really see how this would work (unless you can find a way to talk through the stumps). We were a party of 5 and felt you could really only fit 2 more people.

We ordered a couple of cream teas - 2 scones, jam, cream and a selection of fruit. Cheese scones - 2 cheese scones, cucumber, carrots, cream cheese and some kind of garlic butter & one mixed option which consisted of 1 scone and 1 piece of cake, of your choice, from the selection they had in the shop. All were served with a hot drink with the coffee option getting a free refill.

The scones and extras were all absolutely delicious and there were plenty to go around between the 5 of us. The only bad thing I can say about the food/drink was that our teas and coffee weren't hot enough.

There were extra candles, torches, cups and blankets set out ready for you to use if you needed them or were feeling a bit chilly and a note explaining to let a member of staff know if you needed anything extra via the pulley system just outside the door!

As for the shop, I wasn't that impressed but then it wasn't really anything I was interested in. If you have a taste for jams, chutneys or pickles though then it's worth a visit for that alone; they had every kind you could ever think of!

Overall, the whole experience was very unique and different to anything I have ever done before. The food was delicious and we didn't want to leave. We plan on going back in the summer to try it again during the day time and just for another a little treat!

A couple of other things to mention

- The treehouse is located within Fanny's Farm Shop in Merstham, Surrey

- Booking is required

- Adult to child ratio in the treehouse is 1:1, something they are pretty strict on for insurance purposes so keep that in mine if you're taking children

- You have to order which option you want before hand and prices range from £8-£16 (ours were £12 each)

- They offer a breakfast option with croissants during the morning booking slot and a ploughmans at lunch time

- No more than 10 people and everyone visiting must order from the menu

- They also have a 'Pudding Room' which is open for hire or you can have cream teas just in the little cafe area they have set up within the shop if you don't want to book the treehouse